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Keane's advice to young athletes: "If you’re not enjoying it there’s something drastically wrong." Niall Carson

Roy Keane says young footballers should throw their mobile phones in the bin

“Kick the ball against the wall, play with your mates. Kids don’t climb trees anymore.”

ROY KEANE HAS suggested young footballers have too many distractions these days and has told them to throw their mobile phones in the bin.

Speaking to schoolchildren in Northern Ireland, the Ireland assistant boss said kids should “climb trees” instead of getting too obsessed with modern technology.

At an event organised by ex-Man United reserve player Pat McGibbon, Keane told the children: “You’ve got to enjoy it.

If you’re not enjoying it there’s something drastically wrong. And if you want to become good at any sport… soccer, hurling, basketball, boxing, unless you really love something it’s hard to become really good at it, so enjoy it.

“Throw them (mobile phones) in the bin, throw them in the bin. Play football, practice.

“Kick the ball against the wall, play with your mates. Kids don’t climb trees anymore. So that’s my advice to you, enjoy football and climb trees.”

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Watch the full video here.

h/t BBC Sport

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10 Comments
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    Mute Mark Cooper
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    Feb 17th 2016, 1:37 PM

    Honest advice at last!

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    Mute Kj bar
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    Feb 17th 2016, 2:14 PM

    I’m glad I had a childhood before all this technology came on the scene! I think kids these days have grow up way faster then previous generations.

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    Mute Noel Howley
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    Feb 17th 2016, 4:28 PM

    Jeez I dunno, in my experience lots of boys still do kick balls against walls and climb trees etc. but that’s predicated on there being trees available to climb and walls available in their area of course. A gross generalisation of course but I think girls are more communicative and are often less active than boys and are more likely to be stuck in a phone or something like that.

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    Mute Griska
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    Feb 17th 2016, 3:35 PM

    Climb a tree, but remember to wear a helmet and not before having a parent sign a legal waiver.

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Feb 17th 2016, 2:28 PM

    Probably where it went wrong for him at Sunderland and Ipswich getting the players to climb trees.

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    Mute Joe Carey
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    Feb 17th 2016, 1:38 PM

    My lad throws his phone in the bin he’ll be grounded so long he’ll be a man before he gets to climb a tree. Those things are feckin expensive

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    Mute Declan Snow
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    Feb 17th 2016, 5:14 PM

    As basic this advice sounds he’s got a point. There’s been studies done that show that kids nowadays have worse balance than in previous generations, this has been blamed upon not climbing trees or walking ontop of walls etc.

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    Mute Dingleberrycity
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    Feb 17th 2016, 6:35 PM

    And in other news Irish hospitals have been inundated with kids presenting with broken limbs…
    Apparently some celebrity said they should be climbing trees…

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    Mute dowthebow
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    Feb 18th 2016, 10:57 AM

    You ever go to hospital after climbing a tree?

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    Mute Niall Doheny
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    Feb 21st 2016, 10:16 AM

    Legend !!

    Dead right !!

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